Geocomplexity and the Physics of Earthquakes
Geocomplexity and the Physics of Earthquakes

Author: John Rundle

Publisher: American Geophysical Union

Published: 2000-01-10

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 0875909787

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Published by the American Geophysical Union as part of the Geophysical Monograph Series, Volume 120. Earthquakes in urban centers are capable of causing enormous damage. The January 16, 1995 Kobe, Japan earthquake was only a magnitude 6.9 event and yet produced an estimated $200 billion loss. Despite an active earthquake prediction program in Japan, this event was a complete surprise. Similar scenarios are possible in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and other urban centers around the Pacific plate boundary. The development of forecast or prediction methodologies for these great damaging earthquakes has been complicated by the fact that the largest events repeat at irregular intervals of hundreds to thousands of years, resulting in a limited historical record that has frustrated phenomenological studies. The papers in this book describe an emerging alternative approach, which is based on a new understanding of earthquake physics arising from the construction and analysis of numerical simulations. With these numerical simulations, earthquake physics now can be investigated in numerical laboratories. Simulation data from numerical experiments can be used to develop theoretical understanding that can be subsequently applied to observed data. These methods have been enabled by the information technology revolution, in which fundamental advances in computing and communications are placing vast computational resources at our disposal.

Earthquake Phenomenology from the Field
Earthquake Phenomenology from the Field

Author: Zhongliang Wu

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2014-06-07

Total Pages: 142

ISBN-13: 9814585157

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Based on the field investigation and the summary of the published research results of the April 20, 2013, Lushan, Sichuan, China, MS7.0 earthquake, having occurred along the same fault zone which accommodated the May 12, 2008, Wenchuan MS8.0 earthquake, this Brief tries to describe and discuss the special earthquake phenomenology associated with both the local geology and the changing society. Since the occurrence of this earthquake, there have been the scientific debates on (1) the seismo-tectonics of this earthquake which has no primary seismic fault discovered on the surface of the ground; (2) the relation between this earthquake and the Wenchuan earthquake (i.e., whether it can be considered as one of the aftershocks); and (3) how well have been accomplished in the reduction of earthquake disasters, 5 years after the Wenchuan earthquake. This Brief also tries to introduce the studies and practice of Chinese seismological agencies for the reduction of earthquake disasters. Due to language and cultural barriers, such an introduction makes sense not only for English readers but also for Chinese readers. For example, people (abroad) are always asking why there are so many Chinese seismologists working on earthquake prediction. In fact the Chinese wording 'earthquake prediction' has a much wider coverage than that in English. And actually the Chinese approach to (time-dependent) seismic hazard has no systematic difference from outside world in its methodology.

Safety, Reliability, Risk and Life-Cycle Performance of Structures and Infrastructures
Safety, Reliability, Risk and Life-Cycle Performance of Structures and Infrastructures

Author: George Deodatis

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2014-02-10

Total Pages: 1112

ISBN-13: 1315884887

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Safety, Reliability, Risk and Life-Cycle Performance of Structures and Infrastructures contains the plenary lectures and papers presented at the 11th International Conference on STRUCTURAL SAFETY AND RELIABILITY (ICOSSAR2013, New York, NY, USA, 16-20 June 2013), and covers major aspects of safety, reliability, risk and life-cycle performance of str

Earth Sciences and Mathematics, Volume I
Earth Sciences and Mathematics, Volume I

Author: Antonio G. Camacho

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2009-05-05

Total Pages: 225

ISBN-13: 3764389079

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A Complutense International Seminar on "Earth Sciences and Mathematics" was organised and held in Madrid at the Facultad de Ciencias Matemáticas of the Universidad Complutense de Madrid September, 13th-15th, 2006. Scientists from both fields, Mathematics and Earth Sciences, took part in this International Seminar, addressing scientific problems related with our planet from clearly complementary approaches, seeking to gain and learn from this dual approach and proposing a closer collaboration in the near future. This volume is the first one of a Topical Issue on "Earth Sciences and Mathematics" and contains papers addressing different topics as deformation modelling applied to natural hazards, inverse gravimetric problem to determine 3D density structure, advanced differential SAR interferometry, climate change, geomagnetic field, Earthquake statistics, meteorological studies using satellite images, climate energy balance models, study of soils properties, and multifractal data sets.

Seismicity Patterns, their Statistical Significance and Physical Meaning
Seismicity Patterns, their Statistical Significance and Physical Meaning

Author: Max Wyss

Publisher: Birkhäuser

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 519

ISBN-13: 3034886772

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204 Pure app!. geophys. , P. Reasenberg demonstrated that in Cascadia earthquakes are four times more likely to be foreshocks than in California. Many speakers emphasized the regional differences in all earthquake parameters, and it was generally understood that basic models of the earthquake occurrence must be modified for regional application. The idea that the focal mechanisms of foreshocks may differ from that of background activity was advocated by Y. Chen and identified by M. Ohtake as possibly the thus far most neglected property of foreshocks, in efforts to identify them. S. Matsumura proposed that focal mechanism patterns of small earthquakes may differ character istically near locked fault segments into which fault creep is advancing. Considerable discussion was devoted to the status of the seismic gap hypothesis because M. Wyss argued that the occurrence of the M 7. 9, 1986, Andreanof Islands earthquake was a confirmation of Reid's rebound theory of earthquakes and thus of the time predictable version of the gap hypothesis, whereas Y. Kagan believed he could negate this view by presenting a list of nine earthquake pairs with M> 7. 4, moment centroid separation of less than 100 km, and time difference less than about 60% of the time he estimated it would take plate motions to restore the slip of the first event.